“Semiquincentennial” describes the 250th anniversary of the United States, the national milestone called America250.
The word combines Latin-derived elements associated with half of five hundred, producing the meaning “250th anniversary.” It is used for the national commemoration of the 1776 Declaration of Independence in 2026.
The term is less familiar than “centennial,” meaning 100 years, and “bicentennial,” meaning 200 years. “Sesquicentennial” means 150 years. Because the vocabulary is uncommon, public organizers frequently use America250 as a shorter, more accessible name.
The anniversary is not the same as a 250th anniversary of the Constitution, which dates from 1787, or of the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783. America250 primarily marks the nation’s independence-era founding and the continuing history that followed it.